Mother’s Day 2020 is right around the corner. This year it falls on May 10, 2020.
Today many people, as did one of the U.S. founders of a day for mothers, think this day is too commercial and the original meaning is lost. Here is a little history of why we began celebrating mothers.
Recognition of mothers can be found as far back as the Greeks and Romans. So, Hallmark did not invent a mother’s day.
An official proclamation, written by a woman, about the power of mothers in the United States began after the Civil War. In 1868 a proclamation announced a Day of Mother’s Friendship. The purpose was to motivate mothers of the Union and Confederate soldiers to gather and promote reconciliation.
A few years later, in 1872, it was named a Mother’s Day of Peace, as an anti-war observance. Ironically more major wars were yet to come.
In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation that the second Sunday of May “be a public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country”.
The Nash sisters remember best the resolution in 1945 by congress and President Harry Truman that there be a Mother’s Day to recognize American mothers “as the greatest source of the country’s strength and inspiration.”
The Nash sisters understood how important their momma was and liked celebrating Mother’s Day, even after she passed. Caroline Nash expressed her opinion about the subject. “I want to know when they will proclaim a children’s day. You see, children are the only ones who could make mothers.”
Recognize your mother or any woman in your life with a gift of reading and solitude. Order a copy of The Nash Sisters A Story of Family Sticking Together When It Counts through Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0815QXCRQ/
Leatha Marie 